Now Hannah Milbrandt is speaking out.

When Hannah Milbrandt was 7 years old, her parents convinced her and their entire Ohio town that she was dying from childhood leukemia. After they had raised an estimated $31,000, police discovered it was a scam and Hannah was healthy. Hannah's parents went to jail, and Hannah went into foster care, but now she's 21 and she's speaking out.

In an interview with the Daily Mail, Hannah opened up about how the scam impacted her mental health, saying she had depression when she was a teenager and even had suicidal ideation. But now that she's gone to therapy and done some healing, Hannah has an important message for people who have gone through abuse.

According to the Daily Mail, Hannah's mother shaved her head, made her wear a surgical mask, sent her to counseling, and even put a bandage on the back of Hannah's head where a non-existent chemotherapy port was supposed to be. Hannah's parents reportedly tricked people in their hometown of Urbana, Ohio, where people held support rallies and fundraising events for Hannah when they thought she was sick. But after nine months, the Daily Mail reports Hannah's teachers became suspicious and that's when the lie was discovered. Her mother, Teresa Milbrandt, was sent to prison for six and a half years for theft and child endangerment, while her father, Robert Milbrandt, served four years and 11 months. Robert maintains that he did not know Hannah's supposed-illness was a scam, and he and Hannah are reportedly close today. Hannah's mother is not in her life, she told the Daily Mail.

"I remember a lot (of what happened). I remember feeling somewhat sick but not to the point of how I was being made out to be…but then I found out it was all not true," Hannah told the Daily Mail. "I remember she would take me to the Dairy Queen in Urbana and she'd give me the sleeping pill. I remember falling asleep and waking up in the same exact spot every time."

Hannah isn't the only child whose parents tricked people into thinking they were sick. Recently, BuzzFeed reported the story of Dee Dee Blancharde and her daughter Gypsy Rose. Dee Dee reportedly tricked many into thinking Gypsy was sick, carrying on the charade for years. BuzzFeed points out Dee Dee may have suffered from Munchausen by proxy, a syndrome in which someone makes up an illness for someone else to receive sympathy. Rolling Stone points to other cases in which mothers trick their children into believing they are ill. Teresa Milbrandt reportedly pleaded not guilty by way of insanity, citing Munchausen by proxy, but a judge rejected that claim.

After going through all of that as a child, and spending a year in foster care after her parents were arrested, Hannah dealt with depression when she got older. She said she had suicidal ideation at times. "There were very low moments, like I could die, like I didn't want to exist," she told the Daily Mail.

But now that she's learned to cope with her mental health, Hannah said she wants people to know that there is recovery after abuse. "I feel like there are people out there who are struggling and have been abused in some way. ‘It might not be the same as mine but everybody has a story," she said. "One thing I want people to know is that even in the hardest points in life, there is light at the end of the tunnel. This life is worth something."

If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or textCrisis Text Line at 741-741.